Machine for making wire fabric



No. 623,840. Patented Apr. 25, I899. E. F. SHELLABERGER. MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE FABRIC.

(Application filed. Sept. 12, 1896.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

W. M W 5 W H. E m 3 .41. 2 xi Tn: NORRIS PETERS m. PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON, n. c.

No. 623,840. Patented Apr. 25, I899. E. F. SHELLABERGER. MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE FABRIC.

(Application filed Sept. 12, 1896.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Modgl.)

Patented Apr. 25, I899.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. F. SHELLABERGER.

MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE FABRIC.

(Application filed Sept. 12, 1896.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES EDWARD F. SHELLABERGER, OF KALB, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE FABRIC.

sPEcI'FIcA r'Ioiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,840, dated April 25, 1899.

Application filed September 12, 1896. Serial No. 605,602. (N0 model-J To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. SHELLA- BERGER, of De Kalb, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making \Vire Fabric, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means for the production of a peculiar type of Wire fabric.

The fabric to which my invention particularly relates is intended to be used for fieldfences, and for such use the fabric must be made very rapidly in order to enable its production on a commercial basis, and it must be of such construction as to answer all of the requirements of a fence of this character, which is subjected to great strains owing to climatic variations and the tendency of stock to break through it, while it must also be of such a character that it will not warp or sag and be capable of being stretched over uneven ground.

The fabric comprises in its/composition longitudinal strands, each composed of a plural ity of wires twisted or cabled together and connected at intervals by tie or stay wires, which latter are preferably formed of single wires and which connect the series of cables by passing across them transversely, the tiewires being coiled around one Wire of each cable anda portion of the coil being embraced between the strands of the cable.

Fencing has been made in which parallel strand wires have been connected transversely by single-strand tie-wires wrapped or coiled around each strand-wire at the point of crossing; but this has heretofore been accomplished by hand or by machinery working slowly. Hence the cost of such fencing has been out of proportion to its value for the purpose designed. It has come to be recognized also that a fencing composed of singlestrand wires is not adequate in strength and is further objectionable because the single strands do not have thecapacity of adapting themselves to variations of heat and cold. A cable-strand, on the contrary, being composed of a plurality of wires twisted together, furnishes the requisite strength to the fabric and, furthermore, accommodates itself to varyin g temperatures Without injury. Fencing is also made in which the cable-strands are connected transversely by tie or stay wires interwoven therewith and having hooks, loops, or projections to loosely engage the cable-wires, th us preventing vertical movement of the latter and lateral movement of the ties or stays.

In the fabric to which my improvements relate the tie or stay wires have complete coils encircling one of the strands of the cable, so that vertical movement of the cables is impossible without breaking the tie' or stay wires, while the embracing of the coils of the tie or stay wires between the strands of the cable prevents lateral movement of the tie or stay wires in the direction of the length of the cables.

I do not claim the improved fabric in this application, but restrict my claims herein to the machine shown for producing the same.

I have shown in the accompanying drawings a machine or apparatus for the production commercially of a fabric of the sort above described; but such machine or apparatus is capable of such wide variations in its structural features while preserving the principle of operation that it may be said to involve a new-principle of action capable of expression in a variety of mechanical forms. The operation may be stated as follows: Single wires being led out and passed through suitable twisters provide longitudinal cables. The tie or stay wires are made from a single wire fed across the path of movement of the cablestrands and severed at proper intervals. This tie or stay wire is coiled by passing through suitable dies, and the spiral coil in its forward movement encircles one of the cablewires of each strand successively. During this operation the cable-wires are maintained close together and the path of movement of the spiral coil is oblique to the body of the strand-wires at the point of crossing. After the spirals are engaged across the fabric the latter is drawn forward and the individual cables are spread apart or separated, thus elongating the spiral tie or stay wires and straightening their coils, and when this is accomplished the fabric will be of the width desired and the stays will be straight or without coils between adjacent cables while engaging strands of the latter by complete coils.

The principle of operation is the feeding of the spiral coil across the strand-wires at such angle to the bodies of the latter at the point of crossing as will enable the point of the spiral to successively encircle one of the strands of each cable.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of one form of apparatus for weaving my improved fabric. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a form of apparatus in which the spiral coil is fed at right angles to the body of the fabric and in which the strand-wires to be encircled by the spiral coil are deflected at the point of crossing. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectivelyaplan view and a transverse section of the fabric. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a clamp for gripping the stay-wire.

In the drawings I have shown those portions of theapparatus necessary to an understanding of my invention, omitting the spools on which strand-wires and tie-wires are carried, the gearing for driving the coiler and twisters, and the pull-out'and reeling mechanisms for the fabric.

In the drawings let 10 represent a series of twisters through which the strands 11 and 12, which are to form the cables, are led. These twisters are of the usual construction and require no specific description. They are arranged close together in order to shorten the length of travel of the spiral coil from which the tie or stay wires are made. Mounted at one side of the twisters is a coiling device (indicated generally at 13) and through which device a wire 14c is forced, and is thereby formed into a spiral coil. In the form of apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the spiral coil issues from the die and is directed across the fabric at an oblique angle. The coils will be closed or open, depending upon the spaces required between the adjacent cables in the completed fabric. The direction of travel of the spiral coil is such as to insure that its point will completely encircle one of the strand-wires of each cable. The strand-wires 11 and 12 are slightly separated from each other at the end of the twister, and the point of the spiral is thus enabled to pass between them, while the inclination of the axis of the coil to the transverse axis of the fabric is such that the complete encircling of one of the strand-wires by the spiral coil is insured. With this construction it is intended that the twisters shall be at rest while the coiler is in operation and the coil is feeding across and successively engaging with the strand-wires. \Vhen one strand of each cable is thus encircled by the coil, the stay is severed and the fingers 15, mounted on the rock-shaft 16, are actuated, thus carrying both ends of the spirally-coiled stay forward into the crotch of the cable-wires. The spirally-coiled stay is thus brought into a position at-right angles to the body of the fabric, and thereupon the twisters are put into operation and the strandwires are cabled together a length corresponding to the distance between the tie or stay wires. It now becomes necessar i to pull out or move the fabric bodily and in the direction of the length of its cables and also to spread or separate the cables transversely to the desired width, whereby to straighten the coils of the tie or stay wires between adjacent cables. To accomplish this, I employ a mech anism consisting of endless belts or chains 17, each provided with clamps 1i! and 20, these clamps having a relative movement to each other and both of them shown as pivoted in the links of the chain. These clamps are actuated by the bars 21, which close them and cause them to grasp the ends of the coiled stay. The chains are placed in diverging relation to each other, and consequently while the fabric moves forward the spiral stays are elongated, straightening out the coils thereof between the cable-strands, and the cablestrands are separated from each other. The fabric passes from this spreading and straightening device to a pull-out or reel (not shown) which will be geared to run in unison with the spreading devices. The chains may be driven in any suitable way and, as shown, are passed around sprockets 22, mounted on shafts 23, two of such shafts being driven by "ears. a In the construction above described the strand-wires pass straight from the twisters, and the necessary angle is provided by positioning the coiler. An equivalent of this construction is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, wherein the spiral coil is projected across the fabric at right angles thereto; but in order to enable the point of the spiral to completely encircle one strand of each cable successively one of each of said strands is deilected adjacent to the ends of the twisters. This deflection may be accomplished in many ways; but I have shown the series of short shafts 25, having pins 26, which embrace one of the strand-wires and which shafts, being partially rotated, deflect the strands. The shafts may be mounted in brackets 27 and rocked simultaneously by the radius-bar 28. The pins are withdrawn by lowering the shafts 25, and for this purpose said shafts have a vertical sliding movement in their bearings and have cams 29 acting upon cams 30 on said bearings. The spreading mechanism employed may be the same as that described in connection with the preceding figures.

The completed fabric is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the cable-strands l1 and 12 being shown as coiled together and the strand 11 being completely encircled by the coil of the staywire 14, the latter being straight between adjacent cables. The stay-wire coil is partially embraced between the strands 11 and 12, and the twisting of the strands on both sides of the tie or stay wire coil prevents movement of the latter along the cables, while the cables are effectually tied together by the tie or stay wires and cannot be separated except by the cross-shaft 24, having suitable toothed such force as would break the tie or stay. At the same time the coil of the tie or stay permits a certain amount of flexibility to the fabric, thus enabling the stretching of the fabric over uneven ground, also preventing undue warping or twistingof the fabric.

Having thus described my invention and shown two forms of apparatus by which the same may be carried out, I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to mechanical details nor precise structural forms.

I claim- 1. The herein described mechanism for making wire fabric, comprising means for twisting longitudinal wires together to form cables, means for feeding spirally-coiled tiewires across and interweaving them with a strand of each cable, and means for spreading the fabric laterally, whereby to straighten the coils of the stay-wires intermediate the cables, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for making wire fabric of the class described, the combination with twisters for cabling two or more longitudinal wires, a coiling mechanism adapted to form a spiral coil and project it across the series of the cables, the path of movement of the spirally-coiled wire being oblique to the bodies of the strand-Wires at the points of intersection, whereby one strand of each cable may be encircled by the spiral coil, substantially as described.

7 3. In a fabric-making machine, the combination with a series of twisters for twisting together a plurality of wires to form longitudinal strands, of a coiler adapted to form and project a spirally-coiled wire across the bodies of the cables at such angle as to cause the point of the spiral to encircle one strand of each cable, and means for separating the cables laterally and thereby straightening the coils of the transverse tie or stay wires, substantially as described.

4:. In a wire-fabric-making machine, the combination with cable-wire twisters, of a tiewire coiler, and a stretching mechanism comprising traveling belts arranged in diverging relation to each other and having means for engaging the margins of the fabric whereby to separate the longitudinal cables and elongate the spiral coils, substantially as described.

EDWARD F. SHELLABERGER.

Witnesses:

O. O. LINTHIOUM, FREDERICK C. GOODWIN. 

